'The Way We Would Want Our Family Supported'

Wheaton firefighters lent their support to their own throughout the day Thursday.  Steve Lambe, who has been a Wheaton firefighter for 38 years, organized the fundraiser with Genghis Grill owner, Derek Bromstead. A portion of the profits from food sales went to the Wheaton Firefighter Benevolent Fund. 

The Benevolent Fund is separate from the Wheaton Firefighters Union, but is set up for opportunities to give families of injured or fallen firefighters monetary support, explained Wheaton firefighter and union president, Kevin King.

Bromstead, a friend of Lambe’s, said he’s heard stories of lost friends and personal tragedies over the course of their friendship—but one of the more recent ones hit home.

“One of my good friends—his house burned down,” he said. “Steve Lambe approached me and asked if I’d do this … considering the recent events, I said absolutely.” Luckily, Bromstead’s friend was not injured, and made a donation to the fund, “but it can happen anytime,” Bromstead said.

“There are more fires than you think (in Wheaton),” he added.

The executive board of the firefighters union started the benevolent fund about six years ago, Lambe said.

Lambe explained that the current fund is small, but after building it for some time, they hope to eventually offer scholarships to aspiring firefighters graduating from local high schools. 

“We had a few guys that came down with cancer … (and we thought) something happens to these guys—they go off on sick leave or something, or they get to the point where they can’t come back to work, we have no way of helping this family out,” he said.

In Illinois, Lambe explained, if a firefighter dies in the line of duty, his or her family is supposed to get a check for $250,000 from the state of Illinois. The last 10 firefighters who have died on the job in Illinois, “have yet to see a dime,” he said.

Currently, the fund supports families as “immediate relief” until insurance or disability kicks in, in the case of an emergency, Lambe said. “Sometimes that could take years.”

“We’re looking to support our fire department family … if something goes wrong where a guy gets sick or injured and can’t come to work, we want to be able to support his family, his kids, his wife—the way we would want our family supported.”